SpikedBoba

I can't wait to see their story played out by Ngern and Oat, their novel and story was my favorite by far (with JoNorth's coming in a close second) and they've done such a great job of capturing it already. I love their dynamic so much.

Thank you!

So Jeongwoo and Hangyeol were dating. Negative rumors started spreading that they were dating because Hangyeol had a bad reputation thanks to his ex. Jeongwoo's friend kept encouraging Jeongwoo to break up with Hangyeol because he believes the rumors and thinks he's throwing away his reputation thoughtlessly for someone who is leading him around by the nose, and because he doesn't like/understand the fact that his best friend is now dating a guy. Because his friend kept pressuring him to end things with Hangyeol, Jeongwoo gets mad at him, which leads to his friend apologizing and saying he'd cool it, though he still doesn't like that they're together.

Jeongwoo knows something is going on with Hangyeol and his ex, but he's not sure what until he pieces together that his ex is not only still spreading rumors about him, but is terrorizing him physically as well. When he finally runs into the ex he loses his cool and beats him up, which lands him in a holding cell (police custody, likely for 12 - 24 hours following usual protocol). During that time, he obviously doesn't have his phone, and by the time he's released it's nearly time for him to report for military duty - something he can't miss or he could be imprisoned for it. The first two things he asks when he's out of police custody are where his phone is and if his friend contacted Hangyeol about what happened. His friend ignores his question about Hangeyol and tells him to go get his hair cut (something he needs to do before enlistment) and that he'll "take care" of getting his phone "fixed". This, to me, means that Jeongwoo thinks something is wrong with his phone and that he'll get it back, but we clearly know that is not true because his friend has used it to contact Hangyeol already while Jeongwoo was being held in police custody. I think it's also important that they show his friend asking (i.e. confirming) that Jeongwoo doesn't plan to try to see Hangyeol before heading for enlistment so that he can move forward with his plan to "help" Jeongwoo. Rather than return Jeongwoo's phone, his friend then proceeds to block Hangyeol's number, and Jeongwoo likely never gets his original phone back (because otherwise he would have found out what his friend did). I'm assuming his friend told him his phone couldn't be salvaged, so he has to enlist without a phone. Now, from what I know about the Korean military - particularly during basic training - contact with the outside is really difficult. If you have a phone, it's confiscated right as you enter and not given back until about five to six weeks into your training, and then only for an hour of use once a week (usually on weekends). If he enlisted without a phone, it probably wasn't easy for him to get one once he was inside, which means it was probably even longer before he had use of a phone. Making this an ideal time for his friend to sever communication between them.

In the meantime, Hangyeol overhears Jeongwoo's friend spreading a rumor that Jeongwoo has a girlfriend to people asking him if "the rumor" - that Jeongwoo was dating a guy/Hangyeol - is true, to try to "save" Jeongwoo's reputation while he's in training. Which prompts Hangyeol to give up. Hangeyol then changes his number and moves away, severing all ties from his relationship with Jeongwoo. Jeongwoo, who enlisted thinking his friend told Hangyeol what had happened and that he'd contact him when he could, doesn't understand why Hangyeol just left and cut off all contact. The first thing he does when he gets out of training on visitation is to go and try to find him, but he's gone, which is when we see him breaking down outside of Hangyeol's old apartment. So when they meet again, from Jeongwoo's perspective he thinks Hangyeol got scared of his feelings and ran away, while Hangyeol thinks Jeongwoo had a gay-panic freak out and changed his mind about wanting to be with him and cut him off. If I'm right, I really need Jeongwoo to kick his friend's ass, or at bare minimum cut off all contact with him.

This is what I personally gathered from what happened and I'm feeling a little crazy because it seems so many people didn't get the same thing lol

Rampheung and Khem's past lives have nothing to do with each other outside of Khem being blood related to the family/person who wronged Ramphueng (it's a cursed bloodline).

Actually even in the pilot Charn and Jet don't know each other in the beginning, it's shown in several subtle ways, like when they first arrive Charn is standing apart from them like in the show. Charn and Jet always don't come together until Khem brings them together, even in the novel. In the teaser trailer when you see them working together living with Pharan it's a later development. The only real change in the series that I've seen between Khem and Pharan so far is that Pharan never rejects Khem staying with him in the beginning and their connection as children, he always has known who Khem is to him but deliberately conceals that he knows who he is for his own reasons.

It is actually something extremely horrible and doesn't have to do with any of the main characters outside of Khem being a part of the original lineage of the person who committed the original wrong (the curse is blood specific, so their bloodline is cursed). There are basically two story arcs overlapping that deal with past lives Khem's blood connection to the family who wronged Ramphueng which happens in the 1800s before slavery was criminalized (Ramphueng was a slave), and Khem and Paran's actual past lives that take place in the 1930s.

This is based on an extremely popular and beloved novel in Thailand, one of the most best selling. It already had a massive fan base solely because of that. While this means the show has had a built in following since it was announced it's also really tricky to navigate (a not so good example would be the reception to The Most Beautiful Count in Thailand) if the adaptation is done poorly you can find yourself with the opposite effect and the project boycotted by fans of the novel. Which isn't something you want if they're a really large presence. Domundi went to great lengths to ensure that the adaptation adhered to the original and was respectful of the sensitive cultural topics and elements it highlights working closely with the author, ensuring regional dialects and actors factually represent the original characters, following religious and spiritual precepts closely (they're using real chants and incantations so this is very important), etc. Along with a promising young cast that was already on the rise from an established production company (Domundi's actors are some of the most popular in the Thai industry) it led to a really strong foundation for the show to take off. This actually isn't as surprising as Revenged Love as the show has been really well supported since Domundi took over production of the original announced adaptation of the novel that bombed. The teaser trailer was one of the most viewed of the year, this was really highly anticipated.

You really should mark this as a spoiler before posting, some people haven't read the novel

Personally, I feel like the projects they have handled recently have improved. They're certainly not perfect, but I do think they've done a much better job on their most recent series than they've done previously. Frankly in the BL industry as a whole a completely knock-out amazing series can be a bit hit and miss, even production houses who've had stellar productions have faltered on other projects due to different factors. Fan pressure and demands, without really knowing the intricacies or complications that might go into each project, don't really help imo. I just think it does no good to add an additional reason for them to try and rush something out, rather than allowing them to take their time with things. There are also a lot of simple reasons why they might not be able to hire more staff, funding being a big one. What might seem like a simple solution from someone on the outside looking in, might not be as easily resolved as one might think. Also, it's not uncommon for series and movies to be years in the making in most countries, I don't know why in BL fans have lost the ability to be patient as long as the projects are still moving forward. Fans want everything to happen as quickly as possible so they can consume the content but then get upset when it isn't an A-list result. The constant demand for everything to happen as soon as possible is detrimental in so many ways, particularly to the actors themselves in being shunted from one project to the next while also trying to do promotions, fan meets, sponsorships, etc. A little breathing room isn't all bad.

What people have to realize is that quality series take time, especially one that's going to be as complicated to get right as Khemjira. They are under a lot of pressure for this to be done well because the novel is so popular and beloved, but also deals with sensitive cultural material. It's why the original production was dropped, there was a huge controversy around the original casting choices and the way they represented certain aspects of the novel, so much so the original production house sold it on instead of trying to re-cast. I've actually been surprised that it has moved forward so quickly and as someone who really loves the novel would much rather they take their time and get it right. This could go really wrong for everyone involved if they don't do a good job with it.

This isn't the original production announced two years ago. That was dropped and was in limbo until the series was bought by Domundi and recast (this was only a year ago). They are in the final queue of filming and are already working on post-production, the series will likely air in the last half of the year.

I know, as a Spanish speaker who is also a writer and avid reader haha there's just a difference in reading something in its original language. There's some things a translation can't replicate.

Such an excellent series from start to finish. The story, the acting, the production, everything was outstanding. I loved everything about it, but I think I fell in love with the narration the most. Jin's poetic depiction of his and Haruki's story was SO unbelievably beautiful. I kept rewinding to hear certain lines over again. I wish I could read the novel in Japanese, I feel like it would be a special experience. This is one of those series that you kind of just...don't want to end, or you wish you could have the experience of watching again for the first time.

I think it's easy to forget that actually yes; intolerance, lack of understanding, and lack of acceptance is still the norm for most queer individuals in most countries. Even in the U.S. with the current political environment it's actually gotten a lot scarier and less accepting. The more conservative a country is, the harder it is for people who identify differently to live normal, open lives, and to feel safe sharing who they are. It's easy to forget or not understand that if you've never experienced what that's like.

It's the reality for a lot of people though, especially in conservative countries, but even in places like the U.S. its gotten scarier and less accepting. That's what was the most heartrending for me about the last two episodes, in showing how much Jin wanted to just exist in his overwhelming love of Haruki with the weight of real life in the balance. I thought it was beautiful that the end was essentially Haruki reassuring him that he was his and they'd be together no matter what. Given that it's an unknown when or if Japan would ever legalize gay marriage, and while there has certainly been progress in recent years the reality for queer individuals there and in most countries is far from ideal.

They've improved, Dunk especially since he's finished school and dedicated his full focus on acting. I've always felt that each role he's done better than the last, but it was more obvious to people seeing him in Summer Night and then now in The Heart Killers. He's been working hard and it shows.

I'm so excited for this. It's definitely in my top line up of series I'm anticipating in the new year.

Man Style is going to be the death of me, I can already tell I'm gonna love that little brat. Not to mention his and Fadel's romantic trope is one of my favorites, their dynamic is going to be so entertaining to watch. This storyline is something so new for the JD duo that I'm probably the most looking forward to their character development throughout the show. And of course, FirstKhao as Kant and Bison, they just never disappoint.

No...this is a mess, like an actual certifiable MESS. The plot is a disaster. I know we've gotten some ridiculous series this year but I was so hoping they'd knock it out of the park with this one for YinWar. I don't even want to finish it I'm so bitter about it.